"People aren't smart enough for democracy to flourish"

[sinjefe]

Great read and probably all too true. Sigaba, you should read this:

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/...emocracy.html/

I especially liked:

"The research, led by David Dunning, a psychologist at Cornell University, shows that incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people's ideas. For example, if people lack expertise on tax reform, it is very difficult for them to identify the candidates who are actual experts. They simply lack the mental tools needed to make meaningful judgments.

As a result, no amount of information or facts about political candidates can override the inherent inability of many voters to accurately evaluate them. On top of that, "very smart ideas are going to be hard for people to adopt, because most people don’t have the sophistication to recognize how good an idea is," Dunning told Life's Little Mysteries.

He and colleague Justin Kruger, formerly of Cornell and now of New York University, have demonstrated again and again that people are self-delusional when it comes to their own intellectual skills. Whether the researchers are testing people's ability to rate the funniness of jokes, the correctness of grammar, or even their own performance in a game of chess, the duo has found that people always assess their own performance as "above average" — even people who, when tested, actually perform at the very bottom of the pile"

and

"Nagel concluded that democracies rarely or never elect the best leaders. Their advantage over dictatorships or other forms of government is merely that they "effectively prevent lower-than-average candidates from becoming leaders."

[MR2]

Could it also not be said that some politicians aren't smart enough...

"you didn't build it"

[Dusty]

That's why it's useless to reason with liberals-all of whom believe they're geniuses- who in reality are merely dumbshits.

Half the idiot Obama-voters on the street couldn't even tell you who the Secretary of State is, but they believe rich people are the problem with the world.

This Country's capitols are saturated with elitist dildoes. We would never be able to survive another influx of "above average" politicians.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by Dusty

This Country's capitols are saturated with elitist dildoes.

Yup. They have a pretty good CONOP along the lines of:

- define, for you, your problem.
- make you afraid of it.
- convince you that only they are smart enough to fix it for you, if you will just let them.

They do a pretty good IPB too... been at it for over a century & they have lots of minions and if you're intractable they want your kids.

(This approach occasionally gets borrowed "in the interests of national security.")

[sinjefe]

Originally Posted by Dusty

That's why it's useless to reason with liberals-all of whom believe they're geniuses- who in reality are merely dumbshits.

Half the idiot Obama-voters on the street couldn't even tell you who the Secretary of State is, but they believe rich people are the problem with the world.

This Country's capitols are saturated with elitist dildoes. We would never be able to survive another influx of "above average" politicians.

Dusty,

Notice that the article says "incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people's ideas." It doesn't say "democrats are inherently unable to judge....."

[Pete]

Originally Posted by sinjefe

Dusty,

Notice that the article says "incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people's ideas." It doesn't say "democrats are inherently unable to judge....."

I would think that incompetent people would need help taking care of themselves - competent folks for the most part can fend for themselves.

So Yea, there's a left vs right issue in this story.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by sinjefe

Dusty,

Notice that the article says "incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people's ideas." It doesn't say "democrats are inherently unable to judge....."

lol There's a difference?

[afchic]

Originally Posted by Dusty

That's why it's useless to reason with liberals-all of whom believe they're geniuses- who in reality are merely dumbshits.

Half the idiot Obama-voters on the street couldn't even tell you who the Secretary of State is, but they believe rich people are the problem with the world.

This Country's capitols are saturated with elitist dildoes. We would never be able to survive another influx of "above average" politicians.

So you know members of my family? I may not agree with folks on some of their political persuasions but that doesn't mean they are dumbshits. It means they have a different world perspective than I do.

As far as not knowing who cabinet members are, have you spent time in "Red" southern states lately? Some of them aren't the brightest bunch of folks either (take a look at the "unbiased" video Pelosi's daughter did during some of the southern primaries and how she used it to show that "all" republicans are toothless, racist, morons.)

You must lead a pretty boring life if you only surround yourself with people that believe EXACTLY as you do.

Dusty I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I am not a dumbshit just because I don't agree with most of the stuff that you put here on the board. We have a difference of opinion, that doesn't mean we need to label each other as dumbshit, or libertard, or whatever your choice word is for the day.

Painting an entire group with one paintbrush only winds up making you look like the person who is unreasonable. JMO

[afchic]

Originally Posted by Pete

I would think that incompetent people would need help taking care of themselves - competent folks for the most part can fend for themselves.

So Yea, there's a left vs right issue in this story.

Define competent. I am incompetent to perform open heart surgery, but I am surely competent enough to run an aerial port.

Competency is in the eye of the beholder. There are plenty of people on welfare that are competent in any number of things that would provide them with a means to support themselves. Just because they choose not to do so doesn't make them any less competent.

On the flip side I have worked with numerous folks that weren't competent enough to tie their own shoes, but they were making a pretty good salary sitting at their desk surfing the internet all day and supporting themselves and their families with that salary.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by afchic

Painting an entire group with one paintbrush only winds up making you look like the person who is unreasonable. JMO

Small price to pay.

Democrats/liberals/progressives are dumbshits in my view, and that's the only view that interests me.

If you can't paint the current White House administration with one paintbrush, then you don't know how to paint.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by afchic

Competency is in the eye of the beholder. There are plenty of people on welfare that are competent in any number of things that would provide them with a means to support themselves. Just because they choose not to do so doesn't make them any less competent.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the inanity of that statement qualifies you as one of those who thinks she is a whole lot smarter than she is, IMO.

[afchic]

Originally Posted by Dusty

Small price to pay.

Democrats/liberals/progressives are dumbshits in my view, and that's the only view that interests me.

If you can't paint the current White House administration with one paintbrush, then you don't know how to paint.

We weren't talking about this administration, we were talking about "all" liberals.

I have learned in my time as a commander, that everyone has an opinion worth listening too. Not every opinion, on every issue, but at some point in time, even the person I think I could never find common ground with, has attributes and opinions that can move the organization forward. I just had to be willing to take the time and make the effort to find those things.

I have found that by doing so, I am much better at pursuading someone who may not believe as I do, that maybe MY opinion has a valid argument to it. I have also found that works much better than labeling them dumbshits and thereby shutting down any means of two way communication with them.

But your view may vary. So be it.

[sinjefe]

Originally Posted by Dusty

lol There's a difference?

The study is saying that there are more dumb people (in general) than not.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by afchic

I have also found that works much better than labeling them dumbshits and thereby shutting down any means of two way communication with them.

But your view may vary. So be it.

In case you haven't read the whole discourse, it's been established that you can't talk a liberal out of being liberal.

It's because they're too dumbshit to see reason. All of them; in the White House or in your family, wherever.

Rarely do they see the light.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by sinjefe

The study is saying that there are more dumb people (in general) than not.

Roger. Understood.

The Country isn't in a jam because of dumb Conservatives right now, however.